A Brief History of LSI by Carl Kramer (LSI Class of 1984)

Leadership Southern Indiana is rooted in two separate programs -- Leadership Clark County and Leadership New Albany.  

Leadership Clark County originated in 1980 when 40 community leaders representing government, education, agriculture, business and industry met at Cliffy Falls State Park under the sponsorship of the Clark County Chamber of Commerce to identify and discuss the county’s problems and needs.  

The top priority singled out at the retreat was to “identify, train, develop and coordinate county leadership.”  

To address this need, a coordinating committee was appointed to organize an outgoing community leadership development program under the Chamber of Commerce auspices.  

Initial Leadership

The first committee consisted of Chamber President William L. Smith, President-elect George N. Lane, James W. Kimball, Anita Speechly and Dr. Edwin W. Crooks.  They were later joined by William S. Brumet and Margaret Read.  

After months of planning, the charter class of Leadership Clark County was selected in the summer of 1981.  After an opening retreat in August, the class met monthly to study in-depth the county’s resources and needs in the areas of history and heritage, education, government, human services, commerce and industry, and law and justice.  

Subsequent programs followed a similar format, with the addition of an annual half-day alumni program, which focused on a different topic each year.  

As Leadership Clark County matured, the coordinating board and Chamber board members agreed that a separate corporate structure was necessary.  In 1985, the coordinating board reorganized, expanded and incorporated as the Leadership Clark County Foundation.  

Meanwhile Next Door

At that same time, a similar program developed in New Albany.  Sponsored by the New Albany Chamber of Commerce, the program was developed by a committee consisting of Ed Endres, Robert Hoban, Mary Helen Epperson, Mary Lou Heinz and Robert Nicholson.  The charter class began in 1982 and met for half-day sessions to discuss a wide variety of topics.  A second class followed in 1983-84.  

However, the reorganization of the New Albany Chamber into a new Floyd County Chamber of Commerce was followed by a hiatus in the Chamber’s professional leadership, resulting in a temporary suspension of Leadership New Albany.  

With the merger of the Clark and Floyd County Chambers to create the Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce in 1985, board members and alumni of both leadership programs began discussing the idea of creating a single leadership program to serve both counties.  

As a means of testing the idea, Leadership Clark County selected several Floyd County leaders for its 1985-86 and 1986-87 classes and expanded the monthly program to include both communities.  In 1987, Leadership Clark County was reorganized as Leadership Southern Indiana and Floyd County alumni were added to the board of directors.  

After the Merger

Class members today still are selected from among applicants who have a strong interest or involvement in the community life of Clark, Floyd and surrounding areas regardless of place of residence.  

New members continue to bring new ideas and skills to Leadership Southern Indiana, which equips us to reach even further into our communities.  In the fall of 1996, Leadership sponsored its first annual “Leading in a Changing Environment” breakfast series for the public, which attracts nearly 200 people to three events each fall.  

To support and encourage young people, the board voted in 1997 to create an affiliation with the Community Youth Leadership, a non-profit collaboration of youth-serving agencies in Southern Indiana.  And in 1999, many LSI alumni were instrumental in founding of the Regional Leadership Coalition that in 2001 received funding to become an independent organization serving both sides of the river.  

It is our hope that Leadership Southern Indiana will continue to provide a strong pool of talented, committed leadership for years to come.  Our organization, which boasts nearly 700 graduates, is one that continuously evolves as we meet challenges and reach out to more people.